Time Trial week

Training has been going pretty good in the last weeks. Have begun to introduce some L5 (VO2max) work and it's feeling OK. Still working in the low end of time range for this sort of training, but as I said, it feels OK ....perhaps due to the greater volume of L4 (FTP) work completed over recent times?

I've made a fairly major decision NOT to race the Grafton-Inverell Classic this year. As much as I love the race, and I sorta do OK in it (generally), it really is just too close to World Masters Track Championships to be sure that I can regain my "track legs" and do myself justice in the Pursuit which has really become a focus for me right now.

Having made the decision, it feels like a bit of a load has been taken off my shoulders. Another factor weighing on my decision has been that my best mate on the bike was seriously injured in a training accident almost a month ago. Ray suffered a fracture of the C5 vertebrae and spinal trauma and is still in the Intensive Care Unit with very little movement in arms or legs. Of course we're hoping things improve dramatically for him, but he's doing it pretty tough right now.

Ray rode the Grafton for the first time last year and I was looking forward to preparing and racing with him again this year. I've coached Ray first as a distance runner, then in more recent times on the bike and he's a coach's dream, following workout instructions to the letter. One of the toughest cookies I know and a Champion bloke to go with it.

So Grafton and the whole trip wouldn't feel the same without him.

This weekend (27th July) I have State Individual Time Trial Championships at Calga, the same course (or part of it) as the Team Championships in a month's time. Feeling ready for it, although I haven't time trialled as well as I would have liked recently. Perhaps sitting up the night before to watch Cadel try to win the Tour in the final time trial will provide added inspiration?

Travelled to Kurrajong (will be racing there in on the 3rd. August) last Monday to look over the course and ride the main climb a couple of times. It's not long, or even steep, but there is always a selection made there and I'd like to make the split. The two reps I rode on the climb were up by around 18watts on what I did last year in training so we'll see what happens.

Had a bit of rain here in Sydney the last couple of days so I jumped on the faithful Kurt Kinetic trainer for a mix of L5 and SST/FTP work. The L5 stuff went better than I remember similar sessions in the last months. 5 * 3min @ 300-310watts (3min R), followed by 2 * 10min @ 235watts (1min R).

This morning I did 8 * 30sec @ 390watts (just over my target Pursuit wattage) with 4min 30sec @ 180-200watts between reps. This was to be a fairly easy day (with my TT in three days) and I felt good. Such short efforts generally leave my legs feeling quite "lively", and tonight that feels like the case again. Rode the 30sec reps at a Pursuit specific cadence of ~120rpm trying to relax as much as possible ..........not easy to do when I know I've going to attempt to hold similar power and cadence for FIVE TIMES THAT LONG in my Pursuit.

Current CTL in WKO+ is 109.3 with a TSB of -12.5, which will come back to around even with today's trainer workout and tomorrow's "openers" I have planned. Then I'll see just what I can do on Sunday in the TT.